Description of Yield to Maturity. Explanation.

Definition Yield to Maturity. Description.

Yield to Maturity (YTM) is the annual rate of return
anticipated on a bond that a bondholder buying a bond today and holding it
to maturity would receive on his investment. YTM takes into account the total
of annual interests payments (coupon yield) , the purchase price, the
Redemption Value, the amount
of time (number of years) remaining until maturity, and the time between interest
payments. Recognizing the Time
Value of Money, the technique is used to determine the rate of return
an investor will receive if a long term, interest-bearing investment
is held to its Maturity Date.
An approximate YTM can be found by using a bond yield table.

Using Bond Insurance, investors can protect themselves against economical loss in the event of payment default of the issuer, in return for paying a specified premium to a third party, usually an insurance company. The premium will provide interest and capital repayments as specified in the bond policy.

Note that it is assumed in the YTM rate, that the coupons
are reinvested at the YTM rate. This may or may not be accurate, if the bonds
are sold at prices above, or below, their Face Value or Par Value.